Get Back Up On That Pedestal, Dammit!

The other day some friends and I were talking about people falling from grace. In particular, we were talking about the fall of Lance Armstrong – some of the people felt that the truth is the most important thing, and we should only draw our inspiration from “untainted” accomplishments; while others felt that the myth of Lance Armstrong was more important than the reality, and would have rather just not have learned the truth. In other words, to paraphrase The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, “When the legend became fact, we should have stuck with the legend.”

*Side note: I realize nothing conclusive has been proven, merely that Armstrong ceased fighting the charges. His titles, though, have been stripped and there’s certainly a presumption of guilt.

Pleeeeease be as great as you appear to be.

This brought out other people – like this Elmo puppeteer guy – as well as people we just really, really, really hope are good people. People we never want to see tarnished, or if they are in fact jerks, we just don’t want to know. People like Conan O’Brian, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Keanu Reeves. People who’ve accomplished amazing things, or are just generally known as incredibly good, kind-hearted people.

So who’s on your list? For the Weekly Question of the Week: Who out there – celebrity or scientist, writer or philanthropist – do you just really, really hope never has some image-destroying scandal? Or even, if they are in fact awful, you’d just rather not know?

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About The Byronic Man

Recently voted "The Best Humor Site in America That I, Personally, Write," The Byronic Man is sometimes fiction, but sometimes autobiography. And sometimes cultural criticism. Oh, and occasionally reviews. Okay, it's all those different things, but always humorous. Except on the occasions that it's not. Ah, geez. Look, it's a lot of things, okay? You might like it, is the point.

That’s funny because to us Aussies it sounds like he’s picked up an American accent (for shame!) but to you guys he obviously still has an Australian accent. He must have some kind of in between thing, Americalian? Australican?

I don’t know. There’s not much that makes me think of people as ‘awful’. I guess if Bruce Willis, I think he’s a really cool guy, was caught molesting children I would puke and seriously start doubting my judgment of people. If someone found him in the gutter doped up and destroyed, his image would be destroyed, but I wouldn’t feel any different of him.

He bought coffee from me once when I worked at an uber-cool coffee place, and he was nice for that 60 seconds. Proof positive! Plus, he has the advantage of having a “bad boy” image as a starting point. The only thing I’ve heard is that he’s something of a whiner on the set.

First in my mind is Ellen Degeneres, Morgan Freeman & my hubby. It’s so strange that you brought this subject up today. I have been struggling with a situation where a good friend took a fall from grace . It has been 5 months and I just can not wrap my head around the situation. Being let down by the least expected is devastating. I hope no one else ever has to feel this disappointment.

It all just makes me think about this: Just because they may fall from grace, are they any less worthy of our admiration? We’re all just human right? Mel Gibson is a wild man and has had his share of run-ins, but I think he’s a really good man. Just human, that’s all. When we give people the freedom to fail, we open up a whole new world of forgiveness so no one has to carry the heavy baggage of guilt.

I really like your take on this. And I agree. I was thinking of Mel Gibson and I thought, yeah—the man is human. I’m sure he feels terrible for everything. But there has to be a balance. High profile people who influence the world for good must realize with that comes great responsibility. However, those who have fallen can regain dignity in public apologies and asking forgiveness.

It’s a good point – I would think of someone like Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) and his on-stage racial slip-up as an example. By all accounts he’s a totally decent guy who just completely blew it on stage and it got recorded.

*gasp* I won’t tell him you said that! BTW, Martin Short hosted the Christmas SNL this past weekend, and he was fan-friggin-tastic. I think he might be my real father. Long story. (I actually have a draft blog post about it. …Obviously.)

Well, I’m going to crush this as I am from Rush’s home town. I know him and his whole family of lawyers. The nicest people you could ever meet. I even met his grandfather who lived to be 101. Worked up til the day he died. The Limbaugh’s, including Rush, are just plain nice. Even though they are high integrity lawyers they never have that air about them. His brother, David, does some television commentary time to time. Take a listen to him some time. Super nice.
Gotta tell the truth on this one. Just sayin’. 🙂
Sorry to burst it for ya!

SimplySage,
Rush might be a nice man in his community, as many men like him are… But it doesn’t take away the hate speech he promotes publicly… I do not want to hijack The Byronic Man’s thread, but being a swell neighbour while taking your Golden retriever out for a walk doesn’t absolve you from calling women sluts.
Le Clown

Yes, I don’t want to hijack this either but many public figures are guilty. I immediately thought of Bill Maher, who in the name of comedy said similar, even worse, (in my opinion) things about certain public women. Rap music is full of profanity-laced commentary on women, very degrading. I don’t hear any apologies from these venues. (Rush did apologize.) I also can’t seem to find the feminists calling these out.
But the bottom line here is do we want to trade free speech and establish rules of engagment for it? We coexist with the good and the bad. And we don’t judge a person for one lapse of judgement. If a person feels bad and apologizes we forgive and move on.

Simply Sage,
I agree with you about Bill Maher, I don’t think being left or right makes you a better person when your speech is one of hatred. Hate is hate. Yes, Rush has apologized, but that was not his sole hate speech… Nor sole disgraceful comment. And I wouldn’t use the old “two wrongs make a right” adage to justify his acts, either…
Le Clown

I’m not justifying him at all. He’s human just like the rest of us. I’m just a bit tense about even the term “hate speech” as I’m afraid it’s a gradual step toward “controlled’ speech”. It’s gotten to the point where we’ve lost the meaning of that quote “I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it.” Can we not disagree respectfully and honor our right to say what we want? We all have differing opinions and are not going to agree. Can we not respect that? I don’t in any way like what Bill Maher or many of the rap songs say but in shutting them down I shut down my own right to freely express. Right here, right now I have the freedom to express criticism.
I fear the day when any differing opinions are labeled “hate speech” for it will eventually shut all of us down. Can you imagine a controlled Facebook or Twitter? In the muck and mire of it all true innovation and ideas come from the arena of free speech. Let’s coexist, shall we?

Well, I must say I’m honored for the follow from you. Just browsed through your place a bit and looks like satire is your art form? I look forward to browsing more.
Now, let’s let those on Byronic Man have their say, shall we?
Peace,
Alexandria

It never ceases to surprise me, just how sensitive and ungracious our society has become. So he called an admittedly promiscuous girl a slut. I’ve done much worse, and still have not negated the fact that I’m an honest man, good neighbor, and committed husband ant father.
I’m going to let it go at that. I, too, want to be respectful of this blog.

Totally agree with you but LeClown and I emerged friends. We took it over to my place and he decided he kinda likes it there. I just love to spar in debate. Bloodless, of course. But even in my advocacy for civil disagreement I’m bound to fall off the pedestal! It was all good today.

I’m hoping none of you ever find out what a reprehensible jack-ass I truly am. I suspect that some of you already know, but I’d love for the rest of you to hold me in moderately high esteem. Of course, making such a self-serving comment in this forum might not help my case. On the bright side, people who are savvy enough to read other peoples’ comments on blogs probably already have me figured out.

I can’t wait to see the box office numbers for that film. I read Killing Floor, and some other Lee Child book, awhile back. (Ok, I listened to the audiobook. Don’t judge me.) Anyway, I pictured Reacher as a Dolph Lundgren type (huge and blond). When I heard that Cruise is playing the role in the movie, I was shocked. I kept wondering how he’d do the head-butting thing.

I think 5’4″ Cruise playing Reacher could make a psychologist’s head explode. Hm, a little man playing a character whose defining trait is his massive size… hmmmm… I wonder if there’s something going on there… hmmmm…

Are you serious?? Cruise for Reacher? Is this a joke? I think I’ve read ALL the Reacher books (just finished Wanted Man yesterday) and there is no way Tom Cruise can do that role. No way. I’m speechless.

From everything I’ve heard, it seems that the real Reacher Creatures (people who love the books) are going to hate the movie, even if Cruise does a good acting job. I’m interested in seeing how it’s received by people who’ve never read or heard of Lee Child. Will they sense something is off. Since I’m not a Cruise fan in the least nor a huge Child fan (though I think that he is a very good writer that I will likely read again), I don’t think I’ll see the movie, at least not for 10-11 dollars.

I have twice posted the poll question: Keanu Reeves: Man of Substance or Just Another Pretty Face. Twice it has been decided that he is a man of substance. You can’t argue with empirical evidence like that.

Great question. Finally one I can answer Maya Angelou, Ellen Degeneres, Pauley Perrette, Mark Harmon, Allan Hawco … I actually have a long list and a lot of them are Canadians you probably wouldn’t know.
I have a different question … who would you like to see fall from grace but for some reason everything just slides off them and they always come up as saints? I have one answer for that – Oprah.

George Harrison was my favorite Beatle. I took up uke YEARS before its ‘resurgence’ because of him (he composed a lot on uke & was known when banging around with friends to choose uke above all other instruments). I never wanted to meet him. If he acted an arse, it would’ve messed with my vision of an idol (idol as in: who I wanted to be more like). I know that he was a human. I know that he stole girlfriends and probably did a lot worse…but I’d rather not know those things and surely never wanted first-hand knowledge of aholeness.

Selena Gomez. She’s one of those Disney girls, and so far she seems to be keeping a good head on her shoulders. She’s pretty, funny, and she can sing. But judging by what happened to Miley Cyrus, and the dozens before her . . . . it’s sad. Mostly I want her to not fall because it’d be nice for my girls to have someone they could look up to – but at the same time I understand the incredible pressure they are under at too young an age.

I give everyone the benefit of the doubt when I read about them. News doesn’t always get it right, and they are human and there fore full of faults. Maybe not really big ones, but no one is perfect. Personally, I am always trying to be good, not always making it, but I try, as all these others probably try. Just because they are famous does not make them any less faulty.

I was pretty bummed when I found out Mel Gibson was a complete lunatic. Now that I’m older I appreciate the comedic value of his tirades.
We have a celebrities who come in from time to time at my restaurant, and it’s very interesting to see how they act towards the staff. Your character should be judged by how you treat those who can do nothing for you, amiright?

You know, I don’t have a person to put in the hat as my “Pedestal Person”… I do, however, like where you’re going with this post… but sadly, I’ve fallen off of my pedestal too many times to know that it’s a really long fall…

You know, I think to some point we have to understand, no one is perfect and to that effect everyone somehow or another will dissapoint, not only because of what they say or do but because of how the media inflates and spins whatever happens. I personally would not want to see or hear of Tim Tebow doing anything crazy. But it will probably happen, not because he is a douch bag or something, but just because he is human.

I’d hate to see anyone fall from grace. About a year ago, a friend of mine commited suicide. We hadn’t seen each other for about 12 years since I’d moved to Florida. I was told that he was charged with a very serious crime. His death was devastating to his family and friends. A real loss.

Agreed… if you watch seinfeld’s “driving cars and drinking coffee with comedians”, you see he’s genuinely repentant… and besides, most comedians (even black ones) forgave him the very next day…
“Damn, n**gas havin’ a bad set! Hang in their kramer!” — Dave Chappelle

I think it’s way I don’t read the gossip rags. I just don’t want to know. But sometimes I learn stuff anyway that I would rather not have known. Like Clint Eastwood and the empty chair, or Meg Ryan’s freaky new face. I just hope I never find out anything that knocks Anthony Hopkins off his pedestal. For one thing, his pedestal is so high he’d break his neck. No more movies.

This is going to sound crazy, but I hope we never learn anything bad about Kurt Russell. He was a Disney kid & appears to have lived a good life! I also liked Lance Armstrong & don’t believe he did anything wrong, but did a whole lot of good.

There isn’t a person who has walked the earth, save the guy whose birthday is coming up on the 25th, who isn’t all-too likely to fall off that pedestal. Except for the truly horrific, like what happened last week, maybe we could all try to cut one another a little slack?

Having said that, I would be truly disappointed if Martha Stewart turned out to be less laid back than she seems to be.

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[…] even quantify. So, I thought, for my Sunday question I’d zero in on something positive. Something that gets us thinking about who we admire so much we just hope they never fall from grace (and even if they did something horrible, we’d rather […]